Coalition supports 60-cent cigarette tax boost

The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii said a QMark Research survey of 500 residents that began statewide in December found 71 percent supported a 60-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax to reduce smoking and the state budget deficit. State legislation is pending to increase the tobacco tax, now $2.60 a pack.

"Increasing tobacco taxes is a win-win," Deborah Zysman, coalition executive director, said in a news release in March. "It helps reduce the state's budget shortfall and decreases the number of smokers – ultimately saving lives and millions of dollars in smoking-related health care costs."

The coalition, which includes nonprofits the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Lung Association, estimates a 60-cent increase in the state cigarette tax would raise an additional $12 million annually.

Of the residents surveyed, 25 opposed raising the cigarette tax, but 91 percent said it's important for the state to use some of the tobacco tax money to fund tobacco prevention and smoking cessation programs that help those who want to stop.

About 78 percent of survey respondents said other tobacco products should be taxed at the same rate as cigarettes to discourage their use as alternatives. Smokeless tobacco use has increased among high school students, from 2.8 percent in 2003 to 3.7 percent in 2007, the coalition said.